Hundreds of campaigners swooped on Parliament yesterday to protest against Israel's continuing vicious assault on the people of Palestine.

Supporters of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) buttonholed MPs to demand action for Palestinian human rights and an end to ethnic cleansing and racism.

They demanded a ban on goods produced in Israel's illegal settlements built on Palestinian land.

MPs were also urged to support the PSC campaign against the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Bedouin from their homes and land in the Naqab - also known as the Negev desert - in Israel.

Another urgent demand was an end to the illegal treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including children, who face imprisonment without charge and lack proper medical care.

Lobbyists told MPs that they must campaign for the lifting of the years-long siege of Gaza.

A PSC spokesman said: "The blockade of Gaza started in 2007 and continues today. It has created a humanitarian catastrophe.

"Israel severely restricts Palestinians' freedom of movement, blocks almost all exports and restricts imports.

"We are campaigning for the British government and Parliament to apply the principles of equality, human rights and international law when it comes to Israel.

"The UN, EU and UK acknowledge that Israel's illegal settlements are harmful and illegal. But if they are illegal, what are goods produced in settlements doing in our shops?"